


you're part of a machine

by onefootonego (startingXI)



Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator: Dark Fate
Genre: A fix-it fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 05:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21174452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startingXI/pseuds/onefootonego
Summary: “you do it.”the words that spill from your lips are a plea – a desperate plea that dani hears even as she’s shaking her head in crumbling refusal.laid out on your back after being ricocheted in the wake of the explosion your body feels distant and disjointed. you don’t feel pain, not true pain, not like having a chest tube shoved between your ribs. what you feel instead is more muted, is more removed from yourself, and in a way you’re thankful. to not feel the true extent of the pain a more human body would be in allows you to look at dani one last time. you look into her eyes and for the first time since arriving in this timeline, in this version of events, you seeyour dani.[or: a fix-it fic]





	you're part of a machine

_ “you do it.”_ the words that spill from your lips are a plea – a desperate plea that dani hears even as she’s shaking her head in crumbling refusal. 

laid out on your back after being ricocheted in the wake of the explosion your body feels distant and disjointed. you don’t feel pain, not true pain, not like having a chest tube shoved between your ribs. what you feel instead is more muted, is more removed from yourself, and in a way you’re thankful. to not feel the true extent of the pain a more human body would be in allows you to look at dani one last time. you look into her eyes and for the first time since arriving in this timeline, in this version of events, you see 

your dani. 

you see the pain swell in her eyes as her hand curls around the sharp piece of something you’ve given her. you feel it pressing against your skin, you feel it as one feels a pebble under a flip-flop clad foot. you’re taking deep, gasping, rattling breaths because the end is barrelling towards you, 

the end you had known was coming as soon as the bullet-riddled briefcase was brought into the cockpit. you had known then what would have to happen. you had known then that you would tell dani the truth of it all, of your arrival and why you came back to keep her safe, to save her. of course, in part you told her the truth because she deserved to know. larger than that you told her the truth because so many other words were not available to you. 

dani had known you for all of fifty or so hours, whereas you had known her a lifetime. 

there were things you could not say, would not say, in the crowded cockpit of a c5. instead, you told dani the truth in the hopes that one day, all you could not say then would be understood. you almost say them now, three simple words, but there is little time. 

in the periphery of your vision you see the near-ruins of the terminator emerge from the wreckage. you look at it for one second longer, seeing it piece itself back together again, and then you look away. 

your last seconds will not be wasted on that thing. 

no. 

you look at dani. 

_“i’m sorry.”_ she forces out through gritted teeth, her words thick with tears as it takes the weight of her body to shove the makeshift blade into your abdomen. 

something like pain explodes across your stomach. 

you’ve been stabbed before and it’s hurt more. you wonder if this time hurts less because it’s dani who’s killing you. it’s dani who’s reaching to take your power source. it’s dani. 

this has always been for dani, and you want her to know that. she needs to know that you regret nothing, so the words spill from your lips as your life-source is ripped from your flank _“i’m not.”_ you tell her. 

and you’re not. 

you’re not. 

you’re –

* * *

“grace, grace, come on.” 

dani doesn’t want to sign the paperwork. 

not that paperwork matters in the time of the everlasting apocalypse, but for something like this – like time travel and all its complexities – it’s nice to have things signed off. 

which is why dani doesn’t want to do it. 

she’s standing across from you with her arms folded across her chest and something like pleading in her eyes “don’t ask me to let you do this.” she says, her words are pained, reluctant. 

your heart is pounding in your chest, but your hand is still as you reach out for her “you need to let me do this.” you say “you know it has to be me.” 

dani shakes her head “no.” she says “no.” dani repeats “it doesn’t.” her cheeks are wet and her pain makes you ache somewhere deep in the pit of your stomach. 

“i’m the only one.” you say quietly, your words even keel “it has to be me who goes back.” 

you seek dani’s gaze, but she looks away. she looks towards the cement wall, towards the photo of you and her from back in the beginning. when you were a kid and she was a commander not much older than you anyway. dani stares at the photo for long, aching seconds and in her silence, you begin to speak. 

“we can’t let them kill you.” you say “dani, i – i can’t let them kill you. you’re too important. you’re too important to me, to the world, to the future of humanity.” 

“fuck the future.” dani says, tearing her gaze away and looking up at you “fuck the future. let them come for me.” she spits the word , not at you, at distant and ever-present enemies. 

“they’ll kill you.” you say, speaking an honest and painful truth “they’ll kill you before you even know what’s happened. you’re, the you back then, in the past, you’re not the same. you’re not the same person as you are now.” 

dani exhales, long and slow. her hands are shaking and you reach for them. you tangle your hands with hers and you wait until she finds the strength to look over at you “i want to do this,” you tell her “for you.” you squeeze her hands “you saved me, all those years ago. you saved me and you kept me alive and you gave me hope and now, now it’s my turn to return the favour.” 

dani shakes her head “you don’t, you never-” but her arguments are falling short, despite herself. 

“i know you.” you tell her “i know you better than anyone else who could go on this mission.” 

“but i’m not the same back then.” dani says “i’m,” she takes a wavering breath “i’m different.” 

“i know.” you say “we all were, before the end.” 

for long seconds dani doesn’t say anything at all. you can see her wrestling with the decision, but you already know what she’ll say, what she’ll do. you’ve known since the moment you walked into her quarters and seen the look on her face – 

the look of hating herself for doing what she has to. 

“i won’t handle it well.” dani says finally “you coming back, a terminator trying to kill me because of who i become.” 

“you will.” you counter “maybe not right away, but you will.” you have faith in the dani you’re going back to save, 

like you have faith in the dani you know now. 

“if i’m going to let you do this,” dani says “i want to give you the best chance you can at completing the mission.” her words are far from the self-assured leader you know and love, they are bittersweet and soft. 

“thank you.” you tell her. 

dani looks away.

* * *

_“we got him, grace.”_

you hear words when you absolutely should be dead. 

_“you saved me.”_ the words are unmistakably dani’s, and even without seeing her you can tell there are tears in her eyes. she sounds exhausted, she sounds broken. 

but she’s alive. 

and you’re, 

well,

you’re gasping for air and opening your eyes when you absolutely should be dead. you’re pushing onto your elbows when you should be nothing more than a broken husk of a half-machine. you’re wincing and your mind is racing because you should be fucking dead. deader than dead. 

to your left dani is gasping and shirking back into the curl of sarah’s body. you catch sarah wince and startle and level her gun at you all at the same time. you cough and choke and try to piece together what the actual fuck is going on. 

“grace,” dani is gasping, rocking forward onto her knees and wrapping her arms around you “grace.” she repeats, softer now, speaking only to you. 

“what?” you start, breaking into a fit of coughing “i don’t understand.” you look from dani, who’s settled in the rubble next to you, one hand slipping behind your back to keep you sitting. 

“don’t look at us.” sarah says, lowering her weapon “we didn’t do anything.” her voice is weary and beat. 

you look over at dani “you took the power source?” you press, a sudden urgency in your voice because what if dani didn’t take your power source after all, what if the terminator is still out there, piecing itself back together, what if – 

“i took it.” dani says “i shoved it into the things and it, it killed the terminator. it killed carl.” 

“carl pinned it down.” sarah amends, voice rough “made sure the thing couldn’t escape.” 

with one hand supporting your weight and leaning into dani’s body, you bring the other to the jagged tear of your stomach. you feel slowly reaching into the depth of your own wound is an unnerving sensation, but what your fingers brush against is startling. you must have a great pause and tension drop down your spine because what you feel, what you’re touching is a power source. you feel it, adjacent to your other kidney. 

it doesn’t make sense. 

augments only have one power source. 

they don’t need two. 

they – 

words come floating back to you, 

dani’s words from before you left. her soft yet determined, 

_”i want to give you the best chance you can at completing the mission.”_

you sag back, unable to keep yourself in a sitting position. 

“you saved me.” you say softly, looking up at dani, her eyebrows are knitted with concern and confusion “again.” you clarify “which would be annoying if i wasn’t thankful to be alive.” 

“what are you saying?” sarah asks. 

“before i left to come here,” you start “i went through an update.” 

“an update?” dani asks. 

“maintenance. the newest hardware installed, software patches, worn fibers replacd and,” you pause looking over at dani “and apparently you, you had them install a second power source. you must have known, or suspected that i would,” you trail off. 

“sacrifice yourself?” sarah offers. 

“do what needed to be done.” you say, it’s getting harder to breath and words fail as you gasp. 

your metabolism is catching up to the nights events. 

you’re breaking down. 

“you need medication.” dani says, looking around, near panicked “we’ll find you some.” she says. 

you’re not sure where or how that’s gonna happen. you’re in the basement of a dam for fucks sake. 

you take a rattling breath, curling into dani. 

“i might have something that can help.” sarah says, shifting her weight and reaching into a pocket. for half a second you expect her to pull out a gun and shoot you. instead you and dani watch as she pulls out a syringe. there’s no needle attached, but you also have a gaping hole in your stomach. 

“when?” you ask. 

“in the motel.” sarah shrugs “when you were covered in ice, taking a nap. thought it might come in handy at some point.” 

you reach for the syringe, but your hand is shaking. 

“let me.” dani says, taking the syringe and injecting its contents deep into your open wound. 

“not exactly standard protocol.” you grit, closing your eyes and exhaling shakily. 

dani’s arm wraps around your shoulders as you lay there, breathing and marvelling at being alive “what happens next?” she asks quietly, to no one in particular. 

“i need a fucking shower.” sarah says. 

and that’s not a bad idea. you could also probably do with a stitch or two or hundred. 

“grace?” dani asks, one finger tucking some hair behind your ear “what happens next?” 

you feel the medication cocktail start to balance your metabolism and you open your eyes “i don’t know.” you tell her honestly “i didn’t expect to survive.” 

“but you did.” dani says. 

“despite your best efforts.” sarah adds. 

best efforts indeed. 

you close your eyes again, still exhausted, still confused at not being dead. 

to some extent, it doesn’t matter. not really. you’re alive and dani is alive and sarah’s alive. 

and the terminator is dead. 

just the way things should be.

**Author's Note:**

> y'all i went to see this movie for a second time and it was just as good. but also the ending hurt just as much so i decided to fix it. 
> 
> feel free to come shout about the movie with me on tumblr at 4beit on tumblr.


End file.
